The next morning.
Sunlight filtered through a gap in the curtains, falling softly across Rudeus's face.
Still half asleep, Rudeus rolled over and instinctively reached beside him, hoping to pull a warm body into his arms.
Instead, his palm met nothing but cold bedding.
"Hmm...?"
Rudeus's eyes snapped open. He sat up and looked around.
The large bed was empty. The wife who should have been sleeping beside him was nowhere to be seen.
Come to think of it, last night should have been Eris's turn.
"Ugh..."
Rudeus rubbed his forehead, trying to recall what had happened before he lost consciousness last night.
They had turned out the lights early, and Eris had taken the initiative to wait for him in bed.
The battle had been fierce from the very start.
During the first half, Rudeus had eagerly met her attacks, using his wealth of experience to suppress Eris and gain the upper hand.
But as the battle entered its second half, his stamina had failed him, and he had gradually begun to lose ground.
As much as Rudeus wanted to reclaim his dignity as a man, some things were simply beyond him.
In the end, Eris's relentless assaults had utterly defeated him. His vision had gone black, and he had slept until morning.
"Swordsmen really are stamina monsters..."
Rudeus rubbed his head and sighed. After all those years apart, Eris had grown far stronger in every respect.
Every respect.
No wonder even Hilde had acknowledged her.
Hmm...
No, that wasn't the point.
The point was, where was she?
Rudeus checked carefully. It seemed Eris had left after their battle last night; there was no sign she had slept here. Had she vanished while he slept again, just like before, and run off to some bizarre place to continue training?